Chirac intervenes as riots spread in Parisian suburbs

PRESIDENT Jacques Chirac, intervening after six nights of rioting in suburban Paris, called yesterday for calm and said authorities will use a firm hand to curtail what may become a “dangerous situation”.

The violence, sparked initially by the deaths of two teenagers, has exposed the despair, anger and deep- rooted criminality in the poor suburbs, where police hesitate to venture and which have proved fertile terrain for Islamic extremists.

The rioting, which spread on Tuesday night to at least nine Paris-region towns, has exposed rifts in Chirac’s government, with Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy - a potential 2007 presidential candidate - being criticised for his tough talk and police tactics.